There's bars where you can start the party, bars to continue the party, or bars to end the party, but if you’re really lucky, you've found a place where you can do all three. If you're a fan of those raucous nights out, Translate Bar should ring a bell. After all, it's Shoreditch's all-day party haven.
Venue & Atmosphere
Tucked up amongst Kingsland Road's vibrant bars, restaurants and chicken shops (we all need one of these at the end of the night), is Translate Bar; cafe by day, party bar by night. High ceilings and exposed brickwork gives the bar an initial easy-going vibe, further emphasised by the fun colourful paintwork on the bar and the piano keys painted on the back wall. The room is brought to life with neon signs, bunting, and colourful light bulbs hanging around the room - it feels like you could be celebrating a birthday everyday here. I think we had 5 birthday parties going on that night, all of which treated with cake, party decorations and killer vocals smashing the Happy Birthday toon.
We arrived around 7pm to a ¾ full venue and were given a table by the front. There’s a mix of large wooden tables, high top stools and comfy sofas at the back, but you need to get there early to nail those down for the night.
Feeling welcomed from the beginning to the end, it's no wonder that most people stay for the long haul. The night really kicks off at 9pm, where the vibe shifts into ‘get on the dance floor’, with the lights turning low. The tunes do not disappoint, whipping out a mix of disco, chart music and 90s classics - Wheatus, Beyonce, and Sean Paul to name a few. No wonder the staff are always smiling when they have free entertainment every night.
Fun coffee bar in the day, once night descends the party REALLY kicks off.
Drinks
Translate's happy hour is legendary in East London: running from 4-9pm everyday, they smash out £4.95 cocktails (£8.50 normally), along with discounts on beer, prosecco and sharing food platters. The nachos (£8.95) to share came with a selection of the traditional sour cream, salsa and moreish guacamole.
Making the most out of this crazy business, we started off by ordering a Mexigroni: swapping the gin for party spirit tequila, mixed with Sweet vermouth, Aperol and Grapefruit Bitters, as well as a Mango Unchained. They love puns. This was muddled strawberries and lime with Absolut Mango & Fraise, and bitters. The mango was sweet and delicious - but also dangerously easy to drink. Swapping out the gin for tequila meant the Mexigroni was sweeter than your standard negroni, but that's the point: at Translate, you're here for a good time, and these incredibly drinkable cocktails prove that.
With more booze came more dancing, so we kept on ordering: the Mo Honey Mo Problem was next, with rum, honey, lime and bubbles, creating the most delicious summer drink possible alongside a surprising Monster Spritz. Made from Disaronno, Chambord, lemon and Monster energy. Lemon twangs and sweet almond/fruity notes won through, leaving the kick of energy to keep you heading to the dance floor - a devil in disguise.
The cocktails keep you dancing, the dancing makes you want cocktails - it's an endless cycle!
Summary
Translate is the bar that caters for all occasions, whether you fancy a beer and burger night in the week, coffee and nachos in the day, or a full-on birthday bash at the weekend. Translate's atmosphere is contagious and it'll keep you there much longer than you expect - and you will be coming back. Not just for the food, drinks, and awesome tunes, you'll want to head back to see the fun-loving Translate team again.
